Afternoon Tea at the Ocean House, Rhode Island

Afternoon Tea or other wise known as High Tea is popular more so in Europe, however you can still find places to visit in New England who carry out the tradition. One thing that I (Stylish Mama) have noticed when visiting different places for High Tea is that every place has their own special menu and way of serving it. Most do provide the traditional scones served with jam and cream, sandwiches, desserts, and a pot of tea.

Afternoon Tea at the Ocean House did not disappoint with their selection of teas and food for high tea.  They offer afternoon tea on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons from 3-5 pm.  A sample menu can be found online of what to expect when attending.  We requested half of our food to be dairy free and they did meet that dietary request beautifully.  Our selections were a little different form the menu but the basics still applied....and all was YUM!

We were comfortably seated at a love seat in their "living room" at Ocean House.

Deciding on tea, Stylish Mama chose Earl Grey and Organized Chica chose a pomegranate tea.

China was beautifully set for us.

   

Tea Time!

Scones and in house made raspberry jam with cream

Dessert plate -home made candies, marshmallows, and chocolate covered strawberries with real gold flecks.

Our View across from our table, each oil lamp was lit

Remember ladies, pinky's down, not up.  Its actually not cool to raise your pinky.  You are welcome!

We can't wait to come back.  Already discussing a time to come again for a girls night.  Or maybe just another "working lunch" for us!  Thanks to our server as well, she was unbelievably attentive and made us feel right at home.

Love, Stylish Mama & Organized Chica

Our first visit to Ocean House, RI

We have admired this beautiful resort on our visits to Watch Hill, Rhode Island.  Ocean House has every reason to be admired for its beauty and charm. We likened it to an European seaside resort that you would most likely see in the U.K.  This local resort has accomplished many things including being the only AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five-Star hotel in the state of R.I.  

When you walk into the Ocean House, there is something elegant about how you are greeted right away by the staff all impeccably dressed and groomed.  The decor is definitely conservative;however not pretentious. This hotel also has a rich history background in Rhode Island being that its been open since 1868 just after the Civil War.  And when you walk in and around the hotel and its property there is a feeling that you are walking through history.  If only those walls could talk...

We were surprised to find out that along with the hotel rooms for the public to use there were also rooms that were privately owned to residents who reside at the Ocean House.  When we were asked if we would like to tour the Club Room used for private functions and for dinning for the residents at the Ocean House we were delighted.  

Stylish Mama's personal favorites of the Ocean House:

I was amazed as to how the Ocean House had a Parisian twist to it, it houses a gallery of murals and drawings from the story book Madeline.  The Ocean House is the home of two original Madeline drawings from the story "Madeline and the Bad Hat." If you visit this resort you must take a walk to the lower level to admire all of the art.  

I also enjoyed a glimpse of Paris when sitting outside on the veranda,  I noticed the wait staff are all dressed in navy and white striped shirts and navy shorts or pants.  Very Persian.  Being that I dream of vacationing in France one day....this will do for now.   

The veranda also is a beautiful place to enjoy a cocktail.  The day we went was still on the warmer side so we took advantage of being a little early for our dinning reservation and decided to have a drink outside while overlooking the ocean.  Definitely a must if you visit during the summer or warmer months.

Organized Chica's personal favorites of the Ocean House:

There is just something about being at the ocean, hearing the waves crash and breathing ocean air.  It gives me serenity.  That alone is one of my favorite things of Ocean House, it's location.  

I fell in love with all the architectural details that Ocean House has as well. Here are just a few that caught my eye.  The molding used on the walls as you go down the stairs or the large pine doors used for a room. Each area has its own flair.  If you follow us on Instagram, I shared with you the ladies room because it displayed paintings of ladies fashion throughout the earlier years. Also, when you step outside and use their stairs, you will notice the cutout detail on each riser. They didn't miss one detail in their interior or exterior design.  

Ocean House also has the cutest little shop, Below Deck, where you can find an assortment of old fashioned candy, fresh made donuts, gelato and beverages.  I couldn't leave without buying half a dozen of donuts with their cinnamon sugar on them. 

Ocean House has become one of our favorite destinations and now that we were able to experience it, we understand why guests keep on returning and why some call this home.  We highly suggest that you add this to your summer list.


Love, Stylish Mama & Organized Chica xox

Make sure to check out our next post on enjoying High Tea at the Ocean House....

We are being featured on PattyJ

This week you can find our RI Story on  PattyJ.com.  We were thrilled when Patty reached out to us, she being an accomplished blogger in Rhode Island.  PattyJ.com was voted best lifestyle blog in RI 2015 and 2016,

Go check out our RI Story on Patty's blog, My RI Life: The Bloggers Behind "Stylish Mama Meets Organized Chica" and leave your comments letting us know what you think and as a way of supporting us.  We always appreciate our readers support!!! Also when you are visiting her page check out her posts.  She often will feature great places to try in and around Rhode Island.  I think you will enjoy her blog as much as we have.

Here's a sneak peek:

Happy Reading!

Love, Stylish Mama meets Organized Chica xox

Remembering Summer: Newport, RI

We have reached our last stop on my summer memory lane and if you guessed, Newport, RI. You know me well.

Newport will always have a special part in my heart. I have wonderful memories and keep creating more each summer.

This year was super special because my hubby surprised me with a helicopter ride for our 10 year wedding anniversary.  I admit, I panicked when we arrived and I started texting some of my friends in case anything happened to me.  Yes I know, a little dramatic.  We had arrived early but the crew at Bird's Eye View Helicopters were ready for us right away, they gave us a rundown and next thing you know, we were in the helicopter.  All I remember is telling my husband, "I didn't finish sending my farewell texts!" Once we reached our altitude, I couldn't believe the views. The city I love so much was breathtaking.  I was able to enjoy it from a aerial view that trust me when I say, the pictures do no justice. We had a smooth landing and were given very specific instructions on how to walk away from the landing pad.  The force of the propeller was very strong and loud. We were offered to get a DVD recording of our flight.  We bought it as a souvenir but my advice is that you skip that offer.  It doesn't show you everything you saw while you were up in the air and to us it wasn't worth the money.  Everything else was superb! And I survived the flight!

Next, we drove into the city and visited the Rosecliff Mansion. For the most part, I have visited all the mansions throughout the years but I'll never get tired of going back to admire their beauty and hear their stories. The Rosecliff Mansion was a self-guided tour and the best part was that you could actually take pictures at this one.  Movies like the Great Gatsby have been filmed here.  Even if you're not interested in visiting the inside of the mansion, you have to at least visit the grounds.  The landscape at the Rosecliff Mansion is beautiful.  It would be a perfect location for a photoshoot.

Finally, to wind down, what a better spot to visit then my favorite vineyard in the area, Newport Vineyards. We signed up for the wine tasting, I almost ate the entire jar of wine biscuits, man those things are addicting! I tried ice wine for the first time, where have I been all these years? Amazing!!! We then settled at the back of the vineyard with our glass of wine and enjoyed our little picnic that we had packed.  I felt I was in one of my favorite movies, A Walk in the Clouds, it was the perfect end to our beautiful day.

Thank you for coming down summer memory lane with me this week.  These were just a few of my summer highlights You can still visit all these areas during the fall, they each have their own charm during the colder season. Let us know what you think.

Now, let the fall adventures begin....

Waving summer good-bye.

Love, Organized Chica xox